Arbitrary Optical Waveform Generation Utilizing Optical Phase-Locked Loops

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to opto-electronic systems using semiconductor lasers driven by optical phase-locked loops that control the laser&#39;s optical phase and frequency. Feedback control provides a means for precise, wideband control of optical frequency and phase, augmented further by four wave mixing stages and digitally stitched independent optical waveforms for enhanced tunability.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relies for priority on provisional application61/103,612 to Rakuljic, filed on Oct. 8, 2008 and entitled “WidebandArbitrary Waveform Generation Using Semiconductor Laser Source.” andprovisional application 61/155,338 to Rakuljic, filed on Feb. 25, 2009and entitled “An Optoelectronic Frequency-Swept Laser”.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to opto-electronic systems using semiconductorlasers driven by electronic feedback control circuits that dynamicallycontrol the laser's optical phase and frequency, thereby generatingwideband, frequency tunable optical waveforms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic phase-locked loops (PLL) have a wide range of applications inthe field of electronics. An introduction to these techniques ispresented in F. M. Gardner, Phaselock Techniques, 3^(rd) ed. (Wiley,2005). Phase-locked loops can be extended to the optical domain by useof semiconductor lasers as current-controlled oscillators, therebyrealizing an opto-electronic implementation of phase-locked loops, asdescribed by A. Yariv, in “Dynamic analysis of the semiconductor laseras a current-controlled oscillator in the optical phased-lock loop:applications,” Optics Letters, vol. 30, pp. 2191-2193, September 2005.The opto-electronic implementation of phase-locked loops is commonlyreferred to as optical phase-lock loops (OPLLs).

Extremely wide-band optical waveforms and precisely tunable Terahertzsignals can be generated over a wide frequency range by using OPLLs toelectronically control the frequency and phase of semiconductor lasers(SCLs) including near-visible and near-infrared semiconductor diodelasers and mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). Such electroniccontrol enables a number of applications including coherent powercombining (see, for example, N. Satyan, W. Liang, F. Aflatouni, A.Yariv, A. Kewitsch, G. Rakuljic, and H. Hashemi, “Phase-controlledapertures using heterodyne optical phase-locked loops,” IEEE PhotonicsTechnology Letters, vol. 20, pp. 897-899, May-June 2008) and U.S. PatentApplication 2006/0239312 to Kewitsch et al. Moreover, techniques tostabilize the frequency of semiconductor lasers are disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,717,708 to Mells.

Semiconductor laser-based OPLLs are promising candidates for a number ofapplications in the fields of frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW)laser radar, arbitrary broadband waveform generation, Terahertz signalgeneration, and coherent optical communications. For example, FMCW laserradar techniques are described in M.-C. Amann, T. Bosch, M. Lescure, R.Myllyla and M. Rioux, “Laser ranging: a critical review of usualtechniques for distance measurement,” Opt. Eng. 40, 10-19 (2001), J.Zheng, “Analysis of Optical Frequency-Modulated Continuous-WaveInterference,” Appl. Opt. 43, 4189-4198 (2004), and W. S. Burdic, Radarsignal analysis (Prentice-Hall, 1968), Chap. 5.

The wide gain bandwidth of the semiconductor quantum well media, thenarrow linewidth of a single mode semiconductor laser (SCL), and theability to electronically control the lasing frequency using theinjection current make the SCL ideal for applications to a widebandswept-frequency source in a FMCW imaging system. However, the bandwidthand the speed of demonstrated frequency sweeps provided by prior artSCL's have been limited by the inherent non-linearity of the frequencymodulation response of the SCL as a function of the injection current,especially at high tuning rates. In general, the rate of the frequencysweep was limited to about 100 GHz in 10 ms in the prior art.

In the prior art, SCL designs have been proposed to provide rapid, widebandwidth tuning. See, for example, G. Beheim and K. Fritsch, “Remotedisplacement measurements using a laser diode,” Electron. Lett. 21,93-94 (1983), E. C. Burrows and K.-Y. Liou, “High-resolution laser LIDARutilizing two-section distributed feedback semiconductor laser as acoherent source,” Electron. Lett. 26, 577-579 (1990), A. Dieckmann,“FMCW-LIDAR with tunable twin-guide laser diode,” Electron. Lett. 30,308-309 (1994), E. M. Strzelecki, D. A. Cohen, and L. Coldren,“Investigation of tunable single frequency diode lasers for sensorapplications,” J. Lightwave Technol. 6, 1610-1680 (1988) and K. Iiyama,L-T. Wang, and K. Hayashi, “Linearizing optical frequency-sweep of alaser diode for FMCW reflectometry,” J. Lightwave Technol. 14, 173-178(1996).

The prior art designs takes advantage of the dependence of the laser'semission frequency on drive current. The strong inherent tuningcharacteristic of the SCL, while offering the potential for wide tuningbandwidth, is a challenge to precisely and accurately control because ofthe resulting sensitivity of laser emission to both electronic noise andspurious optical power. Moreover, the semiconductor laser's gaindynamics result in relatively poor linearity, which negatively impactsits ability to generate precisely controlled optical waveforms. There isa significant need to develop semiconductor laser-based apparatus andmethods that enable precise, repeatable, fast and accurate tunableoptical waveforms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In this invention, apparatus and methods based on the dynamic electronicphase and frequency control of semiconductor lasers in opticalphase-locked loops are disclosed. The generation of wideband opticalfrequency sweeps exhibiting linear, quadratic and exponential frequencychirps produced by a semiconductor laser in an optoelectronic phase-lockloop is described. In a particular example, the rate of the opticalfrequency sweep is locked to and determined by the frequency of areference electronic signal, providing an agile, high coherence,swept-frequency source for laser ranging and 3-D imaging applications.Using a reference signal of constant frequency in this optoelectronicsystem, a transform-limited linear sweep of >100 GHz in <1 ms isachieved, enabling real-time ranging with a spatial resolution of betterthan 1.5 mm. In general, arbitrary frequency sweeps can be achieved bytuning the frequency of the input electronic signal.

Moreover, in accordance with the invention, an opto-electronicswept-frequency laser system having a wide frequency range and precisecontrol of the frequency of optical emission is disclosed, comprised ofa semiconductor laser emitting in the optical spectrum, whereby theinjection current input produces an optical output of controllablefrequency. An optical feedback circuit coupled to control the output ofthe semiconductor laser by varying the injection current input thereto,with the feedback circuit including a signal divider receiving the laseroutput and providing a major power output signal and a fractionalfeedback signal therefrom. An interferometer receives the feedbacksignal from the divider and provides an optical beat signal that variesin accordance with the laser output frequency. An optical mixer isresponsive to the optical beat signal and generates an RF beat signal inresponse to the optical beat signal. A reference oscillator provides anelectronic reference signal of swept variable frequency at acontrollable sweep rate, the oscillator output is input into one arm ofan electronic mixer to produce an output signal. The feedback circuitprovides, in addition, a time-varying offset signal for predistortion ofthe injection current to the laser in synchronism with the sweep rate ofthe reference oscillator.

In a further example of the invention, the phase-locked tunable lasersystem disclosed herein is followed by a nonlinear fiber section which,through four wave mixing, can multiply the tuning range of the laser forwider bandwidth waveform generation.

In a further example of the invention, a system comprised of multiplebroadband optical outputs are digitally stitched to synthesize a widerband optical waveform.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the optoelectronic phase-lock loop for thegeneration of accurate broadband frequency-swept optical signals;

FIG. 2 depicts a small signal representation of the phase-lock loopillustrating the optical frequency responses of various optoelectroniccircuit elements;

FIG. 3 shows measured spectrograms of the output of the loopphotodetector, for the (a) free-running and (b) pre-distorted cases;

FIG. 4-A illustrates the measured spectrogram of the output of the loopphotodetector during phase-lock, corresponding to a linear optical sweeprate of 100 GHz/ms, and FIG. 4-B illustrates the measured frequencycontent of the photodetector output;

FIG. 5 illustrates the measured optical spectrum of the swept-frequencyphase-locked SCL;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a range measurement system basedon a coherent, linearly chirped optical source;

FIG. 7 illustrates range resolution measurements using theswept-frequency SCL for various target thicknesses;

FIG. 8 illustrates measured spectrograms of the output of the loopphotodetector, when (a) the reference signal is swept linearly with timeand (b) the reference signal is swept exponentially with time;

FIG. 9 illustrates (A) is a schematic diagram of an optoelectronicfrequency-swept laser system using Four-Wave Mixing (FWM) stage todouble the chirp bandwidth and (B) depicts the spectral components ofthe input and FWM-generated fields;

FIG. 10 illustrates a cascade of N FWM stages to geometrically scale thechirp bandwidth;

FIG. 11 illustrates a multi-segment alternating dispersion waveguide;

FIG. 12 depicts the calculated FWM field in a structure with 3 segmentsof length L each and dispersions of alternating sign (±DC), compared tothe limited strength field in a single segment of length 3L anddispersion +DC;

FIG. 13 illustrates an optoelectronic system providing chirp bandwidthdoubling by FWM;

FIG. 14 illustrates an experimental demonstration of bandwidth doublingby FWM;

FIG. 15-A illustrates a FWM “engine” for geometric scaling of the chirpbandwidth and FIG. 15-B illustrates the output frequency vs. time;

FIG. 16 depicts the relation between the frequency spectra of twoadjacent, stitched frequency sweeps, and

FIG. 17 illustrates a measured stitched waveform used in aninterferometry system, for two targets which are separated by (a) 1.49mm and (b) 1 mm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this invention, opto-electronic systems consisting of OPLLs andfrequency agile semiconductor lasers whose emission frequency is afunction of laser injection current are disclosed, wherein broadbandtunable optical radiation with precise control over the opticalfrequency sweep is provided. Precise optical frequency control isaccomplished through the use of a dynamic, opto-electronic feedbackcontrol system comprised of multiple interrelated and interconnectedopto-electronic components configured to provide both wide bandwidth andstable operation.

The electronically tunable semiconductor laser system (FIG. 1) includesa semiconductor laser 12 with a tunable optical output. This laseraccepts a bias current signal, wherein the output frequency of the laseris responsive to the bias current signal. The system further includes anelectronic radio frequency (RF) offset signal source 28 and errorfeedback electronic circuit components that process, filter, amplifyand/or generate a bias current signal. Each error feedback circuitincludes an integrator 32 with offset signal 30 coupled to the biascurrent input of the laser. Error feedback circuits are responsive tothe electronic beat signals produced by an optical mixer or photodiode24 receiving the output of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) 22. TheMZI consists of a pair of 50/50 optical splitters with a fixed delay inone arm of the MZI (the delay path represented in FIG. 1 by circularloops).

The optical mixer 24 produces an RF beat signal characteristic of theinput optical beat signal, this signal input to an electronic mixer 26to shift the frequency of RF beat signal to a lower frequency (e.g., abaseband signal), the frequency being suitable for insertion into thebias current input of the laser to provide stable, closed-loop feedbackon the laser operating frequency.

As the result of opto-electronic feedback, the optical signal input tothe photodiode 24 is impressed with a precise sinusoidal variation inamplitude that is used to generate an RF signal at the output of thephotodiode with an identical periodic variation. The downstream feedbackpath further includes, in a series relationship, the frequency mixer 26and electronic integrator 30 that outputs a laser injection current. Thetemporal characteristics of the injected laser current are such thatphase-locking in the presence of a precise sinusoidal RF signal 28 inputto mixer 26 will ensure highly linear, precise and repeatable opticalfrequency tuning characteristics.

A minor part (e.g., 10%) of the output emission of the swept SCL 12 iscoupled or sampled by the feedback loop using a 10%/90% fiber coupler18. The optical signal is passed through a fiber Mach-ZehnderInterferometer (MZI) 22 consisting of a pair of fiber optic splitters orequivalently couplers with a differential time delay between the twopaths of the interferometer, before falling on a photodetector (PD) 24responsive to the output optical emission. The MZI 22 acts as an opticalfrequency discriminator, converting optical frequency temporal changesinto equivalent amplitude temporal changes. The output of the PD 24 ismixed down in RF frequency using an RF mixer 26 accepting an RFreference signal 28 of frequency ω_(R). This down converted signal iselectronically integrated (or equivalently, low pass filtered) and isinjected back into the SCL 12 gain section as a perturbation current.

The injection current into the SCL not only tunes the frequency but alsomodulates the optical power, so it is advantageous to install alow-speed optical amplitude controller 16 in series, after the SCLoutput. Controller 16 is driven by an amplitude stabilizing feedbackcontrol circuit that maintains a nearly constant output power. In afurther embodiment, an offset voltage added to the integrator 32 inputis used to set the nominal optical frequency slope, and to provide anopen-loop pre-distortion.

The wideband optical swept frequency sources realized by the precedingfeedback systems have applications in chirped laser radar and 3D opticalimaging systems wherein precise control of optical frequency isnecessary. In particular, the frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW)optical imaging technique is advantageous for real-time high resolutionimaging because of its ability to create a large frequency excursion, orequivalently, tuning dynamic range. Such dynamic range is of primepractical importance because the range resolution δz of an FMCW rangemeasurement is determined by the total frequency excursion B of theoptical source:

$\begin{matrix}{{{\delta \; z} = \frac{c}{2B}},} & (1)\end{matrix}$

where c is the speed of light. This broadband and highly linear sweptfrequency source is therefore an ideal component in an FMCW imagingsystem.

In accordance with this invention, any residual non-linearity of the SCLfrequency-current response is overcome by a combination of twotechniques: (i) an open-loop pre-distortion of the input current intothe SCL 12, and (ii) an optoelectronic feedback loop in which theoptical chirp rate is phase-locked to a reference electronic signaloriginating from the reference oscillator 28. When the system is inlock, the slope of the frequency deviation is determined by thefrequency of the reference oscillator 28. By use of a highly coherent,monochromatic electronic reference oscillator 28, a rapid, highly linearfrequency sweep of 100 GHz in 1 ms is synthesized. This corresponds,based on a calculated estimate using Eq. (1), to a range resolution of1.5 mm. Further, the frequency of the electronic reference signal can bevaried dynamically to achieve arbitrary, time-varying optical frequencysweeps. Quadratic and exponential sweeps of the frequency of the SCL 12are achieved by varying the frequency of the reference 28 signal.

Control System Mathematical Description

In accordance with the invention, the self-consistent solution of thecontrol system can be determined from a mathematical representation ofthe feedback loop components. The laser frequency 12 be given by:

ω_(SCL)=ω₀ ξt,   (2)

where ξ is the slope of the optical frequency sweep. This corresponds toan optical phase

$\begin{matrix}{{\varphi (t)} = {\varphi_{0} + {\omega_{0}t} + {\frac{1}{2}\xi \; {t^{2}.}}}} & (3)\end{matrix}$

The output electrical current of the photodetector PD 24 is given by

$\begin{matrix}{{{(t)} = {{K_{P}{\cos \left( {{\varphi (t)} - {\varphi \left( {t - \tau} \right)}} \right)}} = {K_{P}{\cos \left( {{{\xi\tau}\; t} + {\omega_{0}\tau} - \frac{{\xi\tau}^{2}}{2}} \right)}}}}\;} & (4)\end{matrix}$

where the PD gain K_(P) is the product of the optical power and the PDresponsivity. The DC term in the PD 24 output is not relevant to thecontrol dynamics and can be ignored. Eq. (4) describes a sinusoidallyvarying signal with angular frequency copy ω_(PD)=ξτ. If the frequencyof the reference oscillator 28 is chosen so that

ω_(R)=ω_(PD) =ξτ,   (5)

then the output of the mixer 26 is a DC electronic signal whose valuedepends on the phase difference between the two mixer inputs, as well asthe gains of the PD 24 and the RF mixer 26. This DC current is amplifiedand integrated to produce a linear bias current to drive the laser 12,which in turn produces an optical frequency output as given by Eq. (2).In accordance with the invention, this mathematical representationreveals a self-consistent, steady-state solution in which the laseroutput frequency is repeatedly and accurately chirped and can be used inthe system design process to select suitable optoelectronic componentcharacteristics. This control system may be regarded as a phase-lockloop where a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is replaced by thecombination of the integrator 32, semiconductor laser 12, MZI 22 and thePD 24. The frequency of the PD output is proportional to the inputvoltage into the loop integrator. The slope of the laser output istherefore set by the electronic oscillator COR as given by Eq. (5), andcan be varied by using a VCO for the reference oscillator 28. The loopintegrator 32 is reset at the desired pulse repetition frequency (PRF)of the optical output's 20 chirped waveform.

In an alternative representation, the transient response of the systemabout the steady-state solution described by Eqs. (2)-(5) is expressedin the Fourier or frequency domain using the small signal approximationas shown in FIG. 2. The key mathematical parameter transformed orprocessed by the feedback loop is the Fourier transform of the deviationof the optical phase from its steady-state value in Eq. (3). This isequivalent to the frequency content of the feedback signals. Forfrequencies much smaller than the free spectral range, equivalently theoptical frequency periodicity of the MZI, the MZI 22 can be approximatedas an ideal frequency discriminator. The parameter K denotes the totalDC loop gain 38, given by the product of the gains of the laser 12, PD24, mixer 26 and the integrator 32. The phase noise of the laser 12 andthe noise introduced by the non-linearity of the frequency-vs-currentresponse of the SCL 12 ) are together denoted by φ_(s) ^((n))(ω). Thephase noise of the reference oscillator 28 and the phase noiseintroduced by environmental fluctuations in the MZI are denoted byφ_(R)(ω) and φ_(MZ)(ω) respectively.

Deriving a small-signal representation under a small frequencyperturbation, the output phase of the SCL 12 is expressed as:

$\begin{matrix}{{\varphi_{s}(\omega)} = {{{\varphi_{s}^{(n)}(\omega)}\frac{j\omega}{{j\omega} + {K\; {\tau }^{- {j\omega\tau}_{d}}}}} + {\left( {{\varphi_{R}(\omega)} + {\varphi_{MZ}(\omega)}} \right){\frac{K\; {\tau }^{- {j\omega\tau}_{d}}}{{{j\omega}\left( {{j\omega} + {K\; {\tau }^{- {j\omega\tau}_{d}}}} \right)}\;}.}}}} & (6)\end{matrix}$

The non-linearity and laser phase noise within the loop bandwidth iscorrected by the feedback loop, as seen from the first term in Eq. (6).The frequency components of the non-linear tuning contribution are ofthe order of the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of the waveform, whichare low enough bandwidth to be readily suppressed by the feedback loop.Additional advantages result from the reduction in the phase noise ofthe SCL 12 to improve its coherence, leading to a higher signal-to-noiseratio in a FMCW interferometric experiment. From the second term in Eq.(6), the accuracy of the frequency chirp is dependent on the frequencystability of the electronic VCO used as the reference signal, and on thestability of the MZI optical frequency discriminator. This systemprovides very accurate linear frequency chirps with the use of ultra-lowphase noise electronic oscillators and stabilized opticalinterferometers.

The output frequency of the SCL 12 varies nonlinearly with the injectioncurrent, and the resulting non-linearity in the frequency sweep canexceed the locking range of the optoelectronic phase-lock loop,especially at higher sweep rates. The frequency of the SCL 12 is relatedto the input sweep current according to:

ω(t)=ω₀ +K _(SCL)(i)·i(t),   (7)

where the nonlinearity of the modulation response is modeled by acurrent dependent gain K_(SCL)(i). The frequency of the PD output istherefore given by:

$\begin{matrix}{{\omega_{PD}(t)} = {{\tau \frac{\omega}{t}}\mspace{70mu} = {{\frac{}{t} \cdot \left( {{\tau \; K_{SCL}} + {\tau \; \frac{K_{SCL}}{}}} \right)}\mspace{70mu} = {\frac{}{t} \cdot {F_{dist}()}}}}} & (8)\end{matrix}$

A constant offset voltage is applied to the input of the integrator 32in FIG. 1, corresponding to a constant current ramp di/dt. The resultantPD 24 frequency ω_(PD)(t) is measured, and the distortion functionF_(dist)(i) is extracted. This function is then used to solve Eq. (8)numerically, to obtain the pre-distortion current i_(pre)(t) thatresults in the desired ω_(PD)(t). This technique has the advantage thatthe predistortion of the input current significantly reduces thenon-linearity and enables phase-locking over a wide frequency range.

Abritrary Waveform Examples

In a particular example of this invention illustrating the systemperformance, the control system shown in FIG. 1 is realized using acommercially available fiber-coupled, narrow linewidth (<1 MHz at −3 dB)DFB SCL 12 with an output power of 40 mW at a wavelength of 1539 nm.Polarization maintaining fiber optic components are used in the loop toprevent polarization fading and loss of fringe contrast. The freespectral range of the MZI 22 is 35 MHz, corresponding to a delay of 28.6ns. The optical sweep rate may be characterized by measuring thespectrum of the detected photocurrent. It follows from Eq. (5) that afrequency of 2.86 MHz at the PD 24 output corresponds to an opticalsweep rate of 10¹⁴ Hz/s, or a frequency excursion of 100 GHz in thedesigned pulse repetition period of 1 ms.

A measured spectrogram of the PD 24 output when a constant voltage wasapplied to the integrator 32 input is shown in FIG. 3( a). Underconventional operation, the resulting linear current input to the SCL 12produces a highly non-linear frequency sweep as is typical in the priorart. However, by injecting a time varying voltage to the input of theloop integrator as disclosed herein, the non-linearity of the laserfrequency modulation response is reduced by a factor of 10 or more. Thevariation of the sweep rate with time is significantly reduced with theapplication of the pre-distortion, as is evidenced experimentally inFIG. 3( b).

The pre-distorted frequency sweep is locked to a high coherence externalreference signal of frequency 2.86 MHz to produce a highly linearoptical frequency sweep of 100 GHz in 1 ms. In practice, to achieveoptimal performance characteristics, the loop gain is adjusted byvarying the amplitude of the reference signal. A loop bandwidth ofgreater than ±200 kHz can be achieved. The spectrogram of the PD 24current when the loop is in lock is plotted in FIG. 4( a), showing thatthe rate of the optical frequency sweep remains constant with time. TheFourier transform of the PD 24 current, shown in FIG. 4( b), shows anarrow peak at the reference frequency of 2.86 MHz. The width of thepeak is transform-limited to 1 kHz. The spectrum of the swept lasermeasured using an optical spectrum analyzer is shown in FIG. 5.

LIDAR Range Resolution

A FMCW system comprised of a chirped laser source is also disclosed. Thelinearly swept SCL 12 is used to illuminate and thereby resolve certainphysical characteristics of target 44 by processing backreflectedillumination captured on the photodetector. This is measured using thesystem shown in block diagram form in FIG. 6. To confirm the operationof this system, acrylic sheets of refractive index 1.5 and thicknessesvarying from 1 mm to 6 mm were used as the target, and the reflectionsfrom the front and back surfaces were measured. The interferometerconsists of two 1×2 couplers 40, 40′, with a delay line 42 in one armand a circulator 44 in the other arm. A variable fiber delay line 42 isused in the other arm of the interferometer to match the path lengths toabout 1 m. The distance to the target was measured by computing thespectrum of the received photocurrent at photodiode 24 in real timeusing a fast Fourier transform (FFT) computational algorithm.

Typical resolution results for this measurement system are shown in FIG.7. From Eq. (1), the minimum range resolution with a 100 GHz opticalchirp is 1.5 mm in free space, or 1 mm in acrylic. As the separationbetween the reflections approaches the theoretical minimum resolution,the actual measured spectrum depends on the absolute distance to thetarget. A practical resolution limit is 2 to 3 times the minimumresolution limit given by Eq. (1). In this example, target separationsof >˜1.5 mm are resolved.

Arbitrary Frequency Sweeps

In a further example of the invention, the optoelectronic phase-lockloop generates arbitrary frequency sweeps by the use of avoltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) as the reference signal 28. If thereference frequency ω_(R)(t) produced by this VCO is varied with time,the optical frequency is given by:

$\begin{matrix}{{{\omega (t)} = {\frac{1}{\tau}{\int_{0}^{t}{{\omega_{R}(t)}{t}}}}},} & (9)\end{matrix}$

where Eq. (5) is used to relate the slope of the optical frequency tothe reference frequency. This system can generate quadratic andexponential optical frequency sweeps, as shown in FIGS. 8( a) and 8(b),respectively. In the former case, the reference frequency is variedlinearly between 1.43 MHz and 4.29 MHz over 1 ms. This corresponds to alinear variation of the optical frequency slope from 50 GHz/ms to 150GHz/ms, and consequently, a quadratic variation of the opticalfrequency. In the latter case, the reference frequency is variedexponentially between 4.29 MHz and 1.43 MHz according to the relation:

$\begin{matrix}{{f_{R}(t)} = {\left( {4.29\mspace{11mu} {MHz}} \right) \cdot \left( \frac{1.43\mspace{14mu} {MHz}}{4.29\mspace{11mu} {MHz}} \right)^{\frac{t}{({1\; {ms}})}}}} & (10)\end{matrix}$

This relation produces an exponential decrease of the slope of theoptical frequency from 150 GHz/ms to 50 GHz/ms over 1 ms. Apre-distortion is applied to the electronic integrator input in bothcases. The measured slope of the optical frequency sweep shown in FIG. 8is identical to the temporal variation of the frequency of the referencesignal. By pre-distorting the SCL current to produce the nominal outputfrequency sweep, this phase-lock technique can be applied to generateany desired shape of the optical sweep.

Example: Chirp Multiplication by Four-Wave Mixing for WidebandTunability

In a further example of this invention providing enhanced broadbandtunability, the optoelectronic frequency-swept laser system consists ofa SCL 12 in an optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) as described above,followed by a cascade of four-wave mixing (FWM) stages consistingindividually of one or more non-linear optical waveguide or opticalfiber segments. Four-wave mixing is a nonlinear optical effect in whichnew optical frequencies at sum and difference frequencies are producedwhen an optical waveform of high power propagates through a suitablenonlinear medium.

In a further example, the output of a 1.5 μm wavelength DFB SCL 12exhibits linear frequency chirps of ˜100 to 500 GHz bandwidth with asweep time of ˜10 to 100 μsec are generated. With the addition of a FWMstage, this bandwidth can be doubled by using the FWM process shown inFIG. 9. Specifically, the linearly-chirped waveform, whose frequencyvaries between f₀ and (f₀+B), and a reference optical signal at f₁ arefed into a highly non-linear fiber (HNLF) 34. Fiber amplifiers 32 may beadded to optically amplify the optical signals to a power levelnecessary for efficient non-linear conversion. When non-linear effectsare operative, a new, wavelength converted signal is generated by theFWM process at a frequency varying linearly in time between (2f₀−f₁) and(2f₀−f₁+2B) for one FWM stage (In general, the frequency can be variedup to (2f₀−f₁+N. B) by use of N FWM stages 38). By choosing thereference frequency such that f₁≧(f₀+2B), the wavelength convertedsignal can be optically filtered at the output of the HNLF 34. Thus, anew swept-frequency optical waveform is generated with twice the chirpedbandwidth of the input signal in the same sweep time, while preservingthe high linearity providing by the phase-locked opto-electronic laserfront end.

More specifically, a chirped optical wave and a “reference”monochromatic wave are coupled together, amplified, and fed into anon-linear optical waveguide with a large third order non-linearsusceptibility χ⁽³⁾, and a relatively low group velocity dispersion(GVD) parameter D_(C) (FIG. 9). HNLF 34, photonic crystal fibers, higherorder mode (HOM) optical fibers, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs)and integrated silicon waveguides can be used to provide the necessarynon-linear susceptibility and control over the GVD. A wavelengthselective band-pass optical filter 36, typically based on a diffractiongrating, is used at the output to extract the wavelength offset waveformof interest.

The maximum value of the input frequency separation, and hence theoutput chirp bandwidth, is ultimately limited by the phase mismatch inthe fiber. Consider as an example, a commercially available dispersionflattened HNLF 34 with a non-linear coefficient γ=11.3 km⁻¹W⁻¹, loss α=1dB/km, and dispersion parameter D_(C)=0.5 ps/nm.km. HNLFs 34 withdispersion parameters in the range of −1.0 to +1.5 ps/nm.km at 1550 nmare readily available.

The maximum output bandwidth is determined by the length of fiber usedin the experiment. For a given value of the dispersion parameter,B_(FWM) reduces as L is increased. To obtain larger bandwidths, a fiberwith lower dispersion must be used. For a given length of fiber, theoutput power level depends only on the input power. For example, for adesired output bandwidth of 10 THz and an output power of 0 dBm, themaximum (dispersion-limited) fiber length is 1.1 m, and the input powerrequired is P_(ch)=P_(R)=1.9 W. This power level can be achieved withhigh power fiber amplifiers, but is desirable that commerciallyavailable telecom-grade erbium doped fiber amplifiers 32 with outputpowers of ˜±20 dBm be used to reduce the system cost.

This process can be repeated by cascading additional FWM stages 38 asshown in FIG. 10. The bandwidth of the optical signal is geometricallyincreased by a factor of 2^(N), where N is the total number of FWMstages 38. For a linearly-chirped input signal bandwidth of >300 GHz, a5-stage FWM conversion process will yield a linear frequency-sweptoutput with >10 THz bandwidth.

The speed of the SCL 12 linear frequency sweep will be limited by theOPLL circuit and not the laser, which can be tuned in <1 μsec, albeitnonlinearly. Linear frequency sweep times of ˜10 μsec are expected.Nonlinear frequency sweeps can be much faster, limited only by thetuning speed of the SCL 12.

The bandwidth of the FWM process is limited by the chromatic dispersionin the nonlinear medium, the input signal levels, and the desiredconversion efficiency. Commercially available HNLF 34 with <0.5ps/(n·km) dispersion and a <3 W fiber amplifier for the last FWM stagecan be used to generate a frequency-swept output with >10 THz bandwidthat ˜0 dBm. Fiber amplifier powers are less for the intermediate FWMstages 38. Also, HNLF 34 with lower dispersion can be introduced toreduce the required input signal levels and increase the FWM bandwidth.

The linearity of the frequency sweep is dictated by the SCL-OPLL chirp.Transform-limited linear frequency chirps of >100 GHz bandwidth arepossible using a SCL-OPLL. The FWM process preserves the linearity of achirped input signal, so that >10 THz bandwidth transform-limited linearfrequency sweeps can be directly generated.

The spectral linewidth of the frequency-swept output is given by2^(N)·Δν_(SCL), where N is the number of FWM stages 38 and Δν_(SCL) isthe SCL linewidth. For a DFB laser with Δν_(SCL)≈1 MHz followed by a5-stage FWM cascade, a frequency-swept spectral linewidth of <100 MHz isexpected. A coherence length of >1 m for the optoelectronicfrequency-swept laser, greater than two orders of magnitude longer thanthat of present commercially available lasers, enable greater depth offield and ease of sample placement.

Semiconductor lasers are available at 1.0, 1.3, and 1.5 μm to form anSCL-OPLL and Yb-, Pr-, and Er-doped fiber amplifiers are also availablefor use in the respective FWM stages 38.

Using only fiber optic and electronic components, the optoelectronicfrequency-swept laser does not rely upon precise mechanical alignment ormoving parts in its design. Thus, the manufacturing difficulty andassociated costs are reduced. Control of its operation including sweeptime and bandwidth is strictly electronic and no mechanical adjustmentsare necessary.

It a further example, it is desirable to increase the length of thenon-linear fiber used in the experiment, so as to increase theinteraction length for the FWM process, thereby reducing input powerrequirements. However, the length cannot be increased arbitrarily, sincethe phase mismatch causes a reduction in the overall power. Thislimitation can be overcome by using a multi-segment HNLF 34 where thesign of the dispersion parameter of a segment is alternatively chosen tobe positive or negative, as shown in FIG. 11. The dispersion parameteris changed by designing the waveguide dispersion differently in thealternating segments. For a structure with N alternating segments, theoutput field scales as N, and the output power scales as N². Thevariation of P_(out) along a structure with three alternating segmentsof HNLF 34, calculated using equation 10, is plotted in FIG. 12, to showthe increase in output power.

A schematic diagram of a system used to experimentally demonstrate thesetechniques shown in FIG. 13. The input chirped wave is a transformlimited, linearly chirped waveform that sweeps 100 GHz in 1 ms,generated by a semiconductor DFB laser 12 in an optoelectronicphase-lock loop. An tunable laser (from Agilent Inc.) is used as themonochromatic reference wave. The two optical waves are coupled using apolarization maintaining coupler 31, amplified using an EDFA 32 and fedinto a commercial dispersion flattened HNLF 34. The HNLF 34 has a gainγ=11.3 km⁻¹W⁻¹, loss α=1 dB/km, length L=100 m, and dispersion parameterD_(C)=+1.2 ps/nm.km. The output of the HNLF 34 is measured on an opticalspectrum analyzer, and is shown in FIG. 14. The reference wave ismonochromatic (resolution limited) and the input chirp bandwidth is 100GHz. The arrows indicate the direction of the chirp. The second FWMproduct is generated at the lower frequency chirps in the oppositedirection. The figure clearly shows the generation of a frequencydoubled FWM output that sweeps over an optical bandwidth of 200 GHz. Asecond FWM component sweeping over 100 GHz in the reverse direction isgenerated on the low frequency side, corresponding to the FWM processinvolving two photons of the reference wave and one photon of thechirped wave.

The FWM process disclosed herein generates a chirp-doubled optical wavein the same wavelength range as the input signal. The frequency spacingbetween the output chirp and the input chirp is only limited by thesharpness of the optical filter 36 used to filter out the output. Usingdiffraction grating-based filters, this gap can be as small as a fewGHz. The output signal can then be amplified again using an EDFA 32 andmixed with the same reference signal in an HNLF 34 to further double thechirp bandwidth. A cascade of N such stages leads to the geometricscaling of the output bandwidth by a factor 2^(N). For example, startingwith a 200 GHz chirped semiconductor laser at the input, an outputbandwidth of 12.8 THz is obtained after N=6 stages. Note that the samereference monochromatic signal can be used for each stage, since thefiltering condition (6) is always satisfied if it is satisfied for thefirst FWM stage. If the dispersion compensation technique forquasi-phase matching is used, the total output bandwidth is only limitedby the gain bandwidth of the amplifiers used in the experiment.

The geometric enhancement of the chirp bandwidth using a cascade of Nstages has the drawback that it requires N amplifiers and N non-linearwaveguides, thereby increasing the overall system cost. In a furtherexample of this invention, this is overcome by folding back the cascadedprocess using a FWM “engine” as shown in FIG. 15( a). The input chirpedwave sweeps over a bandwidth B during a time T, and is then turned off.A monochromatic reference wave is also coupled into the nonlinearmedium. The FWM output of bandwidth 2B is selected by the switchingoptical filter 35, delayed by a time T, amplified and fed back into thenon-linear fiber as the chirped input. From time T to 2T, the switchingoptical filter 35 is configured to select the new FWM output ofbandwidth 4B. The combination of optical filter 35 and the delay Ttherefore ensures that only two optical waves are input into thenon-linear fiber at a given instant of time. The slope of the frequencychirp at the output port then increases geometrically with time, asdepicted in FIG. 15( b). The amount of practically achievable delay Timposes a lower bound on the input optical chirp rate, for a given chirpbandwidth. A fiber delay of 20 km provides a delay of 100 μs, which isquite sufficient for sweeping typical semiconductor lasers, andswitching the optical filter 35. This approach can be easily modified toinclude two chirped inputs

Example: Digitally Stitched SCL Frequency Sweeps

In the field of swept frequency (chirped) interferometry, it isdesirable to increase the total effective frequency excursion andthereby obtain finer resolution. Therefore, in a further embodiment ofthis invention, independent frequency sweeps are algorithmically“stitch” to obtain a larger effective bandwidth. This is achieved bycollecting data from multiple linearly-chirped SCLs across differentfrequency ranges to provide range resolutions similar to that of asingle laser swept across the sum of the bandwidths.

Based upon theoretical modeling, the constraints under which stitchingis valid can be determined. First, the gap δ between two windows must beknown to within 10% of the period of the fastest oscillation in thesinusoidally-varying photocurrent i_(PD)(ω). If this is satisfied, theactual separation is relatively unimportant, though ideally it lieswithin 20% of one window's bandwidth.

A reference reflection with properly chosen parameters is used todetermine δ to within our error limits. By extracting δ from thereference data, the transform of the stitched signal follows thetransform of a continuous sweep very closely. This method extends theeffective bandwidth of the optical system many-fold, therebysignificantly improving the effective range resolution. Morespecifically, consider the case of two sweeps, each of bandwidth B, asshown in FIG. 16. The total bandwidth of each sweep can be controlledprecisely, but fluctuations in environmental conditions affect theparameters of the SCL and introduce randomness into the absolutelocation of the starting optical frequencies ω₁ and ω₂, respectively.Without loss of generality, suppose ω₁ is known exactly, and defineω₂=ω₁+B+δ for some unknown δ. The error between the measured andpredicted δ is defined as ε; i.e. ε=δ−δ_(predicted). For example, whenε=0, δ is predicted precisely.

Therefore, in a further embodiment of this invention to achieve enhancedtuning bandwidth, a two target reflection reference is utilized toensure that the error ε is sufficiently small for stitching to achievemeaningful performance enhancements. This makes the interferometricsystem less susceptible to aliasing, since two phases are matchedinstead of one. If the two reflections are spaced sufficiently farapart, then the bandwidth of one window is sufficiently large to knowthe gap to within one period of the slow oscillation. Furthermore,spacing the two reference targets far apart helps ensure that thecorresponding sinc functions in the spectrum are separable in frequency.The method for accurately estimating the gap size δ between twofrequency windows requires a calculation of δ directly from the Fourierspectra of the two target reflection reference.

The theoretical basis for this technique is established herein. Thephotocurrent signal be given by i_(PD)(ω), which has a Fourier transformI_(PD)(jν). The signals i_(PD,1) and i_(PD,2) from the first and secondsweeps, respectively, are equal to:

$\begin{matrix}{{i_{{PD},1}(\omega)} = \left\{ {{\begin{matrix}{i_{PD}\left( {\omega + \omega_{0}} \right)} & {0 \leq \omega \leq B} \\0 & {otherwise}\end{matrix}{i_{{PD},2}(\omega)}} = \left\{ \begin{matrix}{i_{PD}\left( {\omega + \omega_{0} + B + \delta} \right)} & {0 \leq \omega \leq B} \\0 & {otherwise}\end{matrix} \right.} \right.} & (11)\end{matrix}$

For one reflection, i_(PD)(ω)=cos(ωτ₁):

$\begin{matrix}{{{I_{{PD},1}\left( {j\; v} \right)} = {^{j\; v\; \omega_{0}}F\left\{ {{rect}\left( \frac{\omega - \left( {\omega_{0} + {B/2}} \right)}{B} \right)} \right\}_{v = {v - \tau_{1}}}}}\begin{matrix}{{I_{{PD},2}\left( {j\; v} \right)} = {^{j\; v\; {({\omega_{0} + B + \delta})}}F\left\{ {{rect}\left( \frac{\omega - \left( {\omega_{0} + {3{B/2}} + \delta} \right)}{B} \right)} \right\}_{v = {v - \tau_{1}}}}} \\{= {^{j\; v\; {({\omega_{0} + B + \delta})}}^{{- {j{({v - \tau_{1}})}}}{({B + \delta})}}F\left\{ {{rect}\left( \frac{\omega - \left( {\omega_{0} + {B/2}} \right)}{B} \right)} \right\}_{v = {v - \tau_{1}}}}} \\{= {^{j\; v\; \omega_{0}}^{{j\tau}_{1}{({B + \delta})}}F\left\{ {{rect}\left( \frac{\omega - \left( {\omega_{0} + {B/2}} \right)}{B} \right)} \right\}_{v = {v - \tau_{1}}}}}\end{matrix}} & (12)\end{matrix}$

I_(PD,1) and I_(PD,2) differ by a constant phase factor, namely

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{I_{{PD},1}\left( {j\; v} \right)}{I_{{PD},2}\left( {j\; v} \right)} = ^{- {{j\tau}_{1}{({B + \delta})}}}} & (13)\end{matrix}$

Consider the occurrence of two reference reflections corresponding to τ₁and τ₂. The sidebands around each peak are sufficiently attenuated nearthe other peak to contribute negligible phase there. This can beaccomplished by choosing a window or filtering function which hasexcellent sideband suppression. For example, the Blackman-Harris windowhas the form:

$\begin{matrix}{{{w(n)} = {a_{0} - {a_{1}{\cos \left( \frac{2\pi \; n}{N - 1} \right)}} + {a_{2}{\cos \left( \frac{4\pi \; n}{N - 1} \right)}} - {a_{3}{\cos \left( \frac{6\pi \; n}{N - 1} \right)}}}},} & (14)\end{matrix}$

where N is the number of samples across the window and the a_(k)'s arepredefined constants. τ₁ and τ₂ are spaced far enough apart such thatthe broader main peaks do not overlap. If the two main lobes can beconsidered independently, the phase relationship above in theneighborhood of each peak, ν=τ₁ and ν=τ₂, is utilized to define ψ₁ andψ₂ as:

$\begin{matrix}{{{{{{\frac{I_{{PD},1}\left( {j\; v} \right)}{I_{{PD},2}\left( {j\; v} \right)}}_{v \approx \tau_{1}} = {^{- {{j\tau}_{1}{({B + \delta})}}} \equiv \psi_{1}}},\; \mspace{11mu} \frac{I_{{PD},1}\left( {j\; v} \right)}{I_{{PD},2}\left( {j\; v} \right)}}}_{v \approx \tau_{2}} = {^{- {{j\tau}_{2}{({B + \delta})}}} \equiv \psi_{2}}}\;} & (15)\end{matrix}$

Because τ₁δ and τ₂δ are typically on the order of several hundred timesπ, ψ₁ and ψ₂ only define the phase to within modulo 2π. However, bydividing the two exponentials, the phase of the slowly varying envelopewave is evaluated:

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{\psi_{1}}{\psi_{2}} = {^{{- {j{({\tau_{2} - \tau_{1}})}}}{({B + \delta})}}.}} & (16)\end{matrix}$

The factor (τ₂−τ₁)δ is less than 2π for typical δ and an appropriatelychosen reference, so we can recover a good estimate of δ.

$\begin{matrix}{\delta = {\frac{\arg \left( {\frac{\psi_{1}}{\psi_{2}}^{{- {j{({\tau_{2} - \tau_{1}})}}}B}} \right)}{\tau_{2} - \tau_{1}}.}} & (17)\end{matrix}$

Now that we know δ roughly, we can look at the phase of the fast-movingoscillation related to τ₁+τ₂ to obtain a more precise value. We have

ψ₁ψ₂ =e ^(−j(τ) ¹ ^(+τ) ² ^()(B+δ)),   (18)

and so we can derive the relation

arg(e ^(j(τ) ¹ ^(+τ) ² ^()B)ψ₁ψ₂)=−(τ₁+τ₂)δ+2πk, k ∈ ¢.   (19)

Using the value of δ from the previous step, k is determined. Theestimate for δ is then:

$\begin{matrix}{\delta = {- {\frac{{\arg\left( {\psi_{1}\psi_{2}^{{j{({\tau_{1} + \tau_{2}})}}B}} \right)} - {2\pi \; k}}{\tau_{1} + \tau_{2}}.}}} & (20)\end{matrix}$

Given the estimated value for δ, the stitched transform of the reflectedsignal from an (unknown) target is:

I _(PD)(jν,δ)=I _(PD,1)(jν)+e ^(−jν(B+δ)) I _(PD,2)(jν)   (21)

This expression can be extended in an analogous fashion for the case ofmultiple SCL sweeps and targets.

To experimentally demonstrate the bandwidth multiplying capability ofthis technique, a linearly-swept SCL source with a nominal sweptbandwidth of 100 GHz is used chirp across two distinct optical frequencyranges. The starting frequency ω₀ of the chirp can be controlled by theoperating temperature of the laser; a lower temperature increases ω₀.For example, the laser temperature for this specific laser was set to19.8° C. and 28° C. A two-target reference with τ₂−τ₁ equal to 1.5×10⁻¹⁰sec is used for determining the gap δ. The object is set up alongsidethe reference, but placed so that its spectrum is far away from that ofthe reference. Using this setup, data for two 100 GHz sweeps aremeasured. The algorithm is run on the two reference spectra (one fromeach sweep) to determine δ, and stitch the two 100 GHz sweeps for theimaging target. For targets separated by more than the range resolution,the reflection peaks have a narrower linewidth and lower sidebands,illustrated for a target separation of 1.49 millimeters in FIG. 17( a).Of particular interest is the case where the target separation is at therange resolution limit of the system, which is 1 millimeter for abandwidth of 100 GHz. As shown in FIG. 17( b), the individual 100 GHzsweeps do not allow both targets to be resolved, but the stitchedwaveform enables us to observe two distinct peaks.

In summary, techniques to increase the bandwidth and tunability ofsemiconductor laser diodes are disclosed herein. In particular, thisphase-locked laser system generates accurate and broadband frequencysweeps of a SCL using some combination of laser current pre-distortion,a high-bandwidth optoelectronic phase-lock loop, FWM output stage and/orsweep stitching for bandwidth multiplication. The rate of the opticalfrequency sweep is determined by the frequency of an external referencesignal. Closed-loop control reduces the inherent phase noise of the SCLwithin the loop bandwidth, thereby enabling coherent interferometry withlarge source to target distances. A highly linear frequency sweep inexcess of 100 GHz and faster than 1 ms is possible for this system,corresponding to an experimentally demonstrated FMCW range resolution of<1.5 mm. Very precise arbitrary broadband frequency sweeps are alsogenerated by varying the frequency of the external reference signal. Theachievable rate of the frequency sweep is limited only by the tuningrange of the DFB laser. With the use of SCLs with large tuning ranges,such as Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs), this approachcan be extended to achieve frequency sweeps of a few THz. The speed offrequency tuning is only limited by the ability of the pre-distortion toreduce the non-linearity to within the loop bandwidth. Optical frequencytuning rates in excess of 10¹⁶ Hz/s are achievable using the system andmethods disclosed herein.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device may be made while retainingthe teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure shouldbe construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appendedclaims.

1. An opto-electronic swept-frequency laser system having a widefrequency range and precise control of the frequency of optical emissionwithin the range, the system comprising: a semiconductor laser emittingin the optical spectrum, said laser including an injection current inputand providing an output of controllable frequency in response thereto;an optical feedback circuit coupled to control the output of thesemiconductor laser by varying the injection current input thereto, withsignals of swept frequency; the feedback circuit including a signaldivider receiving the laser output and providing a major power outputsignal and a fractional feedback signal therefrom; an interferometerreceiving the feedback signal from the divider and providing an opticalbeat signal that varies in accordance with the laser output frequency;an optical mixer responsive to the optical beat signal for generating anRF beat signal in response to the optical beat signal; a referenceoscillator providing an electronic reference signal of swept variablefrequency at a controllable sweep rate; an electronic mixer receiving asone input the output from the optical mixer providing a mixed RF outputsignal; a circuit providing a time-varying offset signal forpredistortion of the injection current to the laser in synchronism withthe sweep rate of the reference oscillator, and an integrator circuitreceiving both the output from the electronic mixer and the offsetsignals, and having an output coupled to the injection current input ofthe semiconductor laser.
 2. A laser system as set forth in claim 1above, wherein the reference oscillator is monochromatic andcontrollable in frequency to generate sweeps spanning at least about 100GHz in no more than 10 ms.
 3. A laser system as set forth in claim 1above, wherein the frequency sweeps of the reference oscillator arecontrolled to follow an exponential or quadratic function.
 4. A systemas set forth in claim 1 above, wherein the interferometer comprising aMach-Zehnder interferometer comprising two arms with different opticallengths providing an optical beam signal with a predetermined delay. 5.A laser system as set forth in claim 4 above, wherein the optical mixercomprises a photodiode.
 6. A system as set forth in claim 1 above,wherein one arm of the interferometer includes an optical circulatorthat launches and receives reflected light from a target, such that therange resolution of the target is at least 1.5 mm.
 7. A laser system inaccordance with claim 1 above, wherein the frequency of the referenceoscillator is varied dynamically, such that the optical emissionfrequency varies periodically with time, over a range of at leastapproximately 100 GHz in approximately 1 ms.
 8. A laser system inaccordance with claim 1 above, wherein the system further includes anisolator and amplitude controller in the feedback circuit prior to thesignal divider.
 9. A laser system as set forth in claim 1 above, whereinthe system further includes a cyclic frequency controller coupled tocontrol the sweeps of the reference oscillator, and providing resetsignals to the integrator circuit.
 10. A method of generating a sweptfrequency signal using an optical laser having an injection currentinput tending to provide an inherently nonlinear response comprising thesteps of: generating a coherent optical laser beam subject tononlinearity; dividing the laser beam into a power beam comprising asubstantial majority of the laser output and a feedback beam comprisingthe remainder of the laser output; generating an optical beat signal byinterferometrically using the signal differential between two signalpaths in the feedback loop; converting the optical beat signal into anRF signal variation responsive thereto; generating a variable frequencyRF reference signal changing in repetitive cycles at a selectedrepetition rate; mixing the optical beat signal with the variablefrequency RF signal to generate an output signal; generating an offsetsignal varying at a repetition rate that varies concurrently RFreference signal rate; integrating the offset signal and output signalfrom the mixing step to provide an injection current signal; applyingthe injection current signal as input to the laser, and resetting theintegration step in synchronism with the frequency sweep cycle.
 11. Amethod as set forth in claim 10, wherein the sweep cycle of the laser isvaried in a selectable fashion, to provide one of the followingcharacteristics: A) linear, B) quadratic, C) exponential opticalfrequency variation as a function of time.
 12. The method as set forthin claim 11 above, wherein the amplitude of the time varying offsetsignal is adjusted to compensate for nonlinearities in the laser output.13. The method as set forth in claim 12 above, wherein the methodfurther comprises the step of stabilizing the power output from thelaser prior to the step of dividing the output into a power beam and afeedback loop beam.
 14. A laser system providing an agile highcoherence, swept frequency output at a high repetition rate with precisecontrol over a wide frequency range, comprising: a semiconductor lasercontrollable by varying an injection current at its input; a referencesignal source providing a swept frequency output at a high repetitionrate and varying between wide frequency limits; an opto-electronicfeedback loop including an interferometer receiving a portion of thelaser output and providing an optical beat signal, and the loop furtherincluding an electronic mixer receiving both the swept frequencyreference signal and the optical beat signals, and providing anelectronic beat signal, the opto-electronic feedback loop furtherincluding a pre-distortion signal circuit including a cyclic offsetsource synchronized to the swept reference signal and an integratorcircuit receiving the electronic beat signal and the cyclic offsetsignal and providing the current injection signal to the semiconductorlaser.
 15. A system as set forth in claim 14 above, wherein the sweptreference signal has a frequency sweep of approximately 100 GHz at arepetition rate of approximately 1 millisecond.
 16. A system as setforth in claim 14 above, wherein the frequency sweep varies in a linearmanner.
 17. A system as set forth in claim 14 above, wherein thefrequency sweep varies in a nonlinear manner.
 18. A system as set forthin claim 14 above, wherein the system includes an integrator circuitreceiving the output from the electronic mixer and the swept offsetvoltage, and includes a reset input that is responsive to the frequencyrate of the reference oscillator.
 19. A system as set forth in claim 14above, wherein the opto-electronic feedback loop comprises aMach-Zehnder interferometer and a photodetector coupled to the output ofthe interferometer and providing an optical beat signal.
 20. A system asset forth in claim 19 above, including an amplitude controller receivingthe output from the semiconductor laser and equalizing the power levelof the semiconductor laser.
 21. A system as set forth in claim 14 above,wherein the wide frequency range is enhanced by propagating the opticaloutput into one or more four wave mixing stages with enhanced opticalnonlinearity.
 22. A system as set forth in claim 14 above, wherein thewide frequency range is enhanced by digitally stitching the outputwaveforms of at least two semiconductor lasers and utilizing a referencewith multiple spaced-apart reflections.
 23. A system as set forth inclaim 21 above, wherein the one or more four wave mixing stages arecomprised of multiple segments of highly nonlinear optical fiber whosedispersion coefficients alternate in sign, the segments longitudinallycascaded so that the output optical propagates through the multiplesegments.
 24. In a high resolution optical imaging system utilizing achirped optical wave linearly varying in a predetermined sweepperiodicity between wavelength limits, a combination for multiplying thespan between the limits, comprising: a source of a referencemonochromatic optical wave; a coupling circuit receiving the chirpedoptical wave and the reference optical wave for combining said waves; anoptical waveguide coupled to receive said combined waves from thecoupling circuit, the optical waveguide having a chosen third ordernon-linear susceptibility and group velocity dispersion parameter toprovide an output wave of multiplied wavelength span by four wavemixing, and a wavelength selective band-pass optical filter receivingthe output from the optical waveguide for extracting a selected waveformtherefrom.
 25. An imaging system as set forth in claim 24 above, furthercomprising at least two of said four wave mixing combinations in seriesconfigured to further multiply the span between the wavelength limits.26. A combination as set forth in claim 24 above, wherein the opticalwaveguide comprises a length of highly non-linear optical fiber having anon-linear coefficient γ of about 10 to 12 km⁻¹ W⁻¹, a loss parameter aof about 0.1 to 10 db/km and a dispersion parameter D_(c) in the rangeof −1.0 to +1.3 ps/nm km.
 27. A combination as set forth in claim 26above, wherein the non-linear optical fiber comprises multiple segmentshaving alternating positive and negative dispersion parameters.
 28. Acombination as set forth in claim 24 above, further including an opticalamplifier in series between the coupling circuit and the opticalwaveguide.
 29. A combination as set forth in claim 24 above, furtherincluding a second chirped optical input to provide an output wave oftripled wavelength span.
 30. A combination as set forth in claim 28above, wherein the nonlinear optical fiber and optical amplifier arecombined in a loop configuration with an optical switch to repeatedlymultiply the output wavelength span by four wave mixing.